Suicidal Crisis

A crisis situation immediately demands that you seek help from a mental health professional. Whatever be the source of your feelings, a qualified professional can help you deal with it. Here are a few things to do when you face such a crisis:

Seek help immediately:

A qualified mental health professional or suicide helplines, whatever that is, but, make sure to seek help immediately.

Go to a clinic:

If the helpline service is not enough for you, immediately visit a clinic, a hospital or a therapist.

Talk to someone: 

Confess to someone you trust. A colleague, a friend or a neighbor or go for online chat-rooms. Talk on the phone or have someone visit you at your place.

Wait wisely:

While help is arriving, make sure you sit down somewhere safe and concentrate on your breathing. Also, slower and deeper breathing helps you relax. Also, engage in something like listening to soothing music, eating your favorite food to distract from such thoughts.

Preventing the occurrence of crisis:

Approach a mental health care professional: First of all, get appropriate help to assess your situation and causes, such as depression etc., and be regular with the counseling sessions. Also, have someone to keep you accountable to attend the sessions until your situation gets better.

Support group: Build a support network around you that is available in situations of crisis.

Access control: Most importantly, remove yourself far from access to anything that could help in suicide like sharp objects, drugs, rope etc.

Avoid being alone: Enough said. Be in someone’s vicinity, a family member, friend, support group, therapist etc.

Learn about it: Also, get some knowledge on various risk factors that lead to such situations. It could be isolation, stressful events, disorders, diseases, bullying etc. Thus, learning about it helps us cope better and also leaves us better human beings.

Sleep: Lack of sleep or sleep deprivation can cloud your judgment. Thus, catching up on some good sleep can give you new perspectives.

There’s no undo button: Give this decision good time and pause. Avoid the sense of urgency for action. Once done, it can’t be undone. It’s a mistake you won’t live to regret.

You’re not alone: Many people have been through this and gotten better. So, there’s no reason why you can’t achieve the same!

Restart: If your present conditions or environment is not to your liking, always remember that you can switch places, jobs, schools etc., and restart your life afresh.

Hurting yourself won’t help: If you are angry at someone or something, hurting yourself in revenge won’t help. Hence, things or conflicts are better resolved with communication or intervention of an experienced person or professional.

Take care: Continue caring for yourself with treats, pampering, grooming, trips, shopping or whatever you fancy. Always be vigilant not to allow and keep track of suicidal thoughts.

Life is a precious gift. Don’t end it unnaturally.

Mental Illness will affect one in four people in the world

One of the targets from the United Nations in 2030 is to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by one-third through prevention, treatment, and awareness of mental problems and well-being. Mental illness will affect one in four people in the world. With an estimated 450 million people currently suffering, mental disorders are among the top causes of ill-health and disability worldwide. Global Burden of Disease report indicates mental disorders account for 13% of total Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost with depression being the leading cause. That speaks volumes about the torment unleashed by mental issues issues in terms of human misery, disability, mental morbidity, mortality, health care costs, economic loss and productivity loss of countries.

 13.7% Indians are suffering from various mental illnesses

India, in contrast to the developed countries, has a peculiar problem with the double burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) plaguing its health care system. Mental, neurological and substance use disorders (MNSUDs), form a part of NCDs, are today acknowledged as major public health challenges. An estimated 13.7% Indians are suffering from various mental illnesses of which 10.6% require immediate intervention. Despite the scale of suffering, the treatment gap for all mental health disorders (except epilepsy) stands at a staggering 60%. Owing to the stigma attached, limited awareness, availability, accessibility and affordability, 80% of victims forgo treatment and care.

Mental Disorders affect everyone irrespective of age, gender, residence and living standards

Mental Disorders affect everyone irrespective of age, gender, residence and living standards. The complex mixture of biological, social, environmental, cultural and economic factors cause them. In countries like India, the social determinants of health like employment, education, living standards, environment, access, equity and others contribute significantly to both causation and recovery. Mental illness includes antisocial behavior, crime, domestic violence and alcohol and drug abuse. Mental problems of a chronic nature result in a lifelong impact and poor quality of life. Families and individuals suffer because of neglect, marginalization, and earning potentials. This adds to the woes of treatment gap due to the nature, duration, and impact of illness.

Addressing Mental Health is very Important

In conclusion, addressing mental health is important. However, it has often been accorded a lower priority amidst the competing health and social priorities; hence, the realized progress thus far has been far from satisfactory.

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Anxiety VS Stress

First of all, one needs to understand how anxiety is different from stress. In general, the term Anxiety is used interchangeably with the term Stress. Certainly, there is a difference between anxiety and stress.
Hence, Stress is a response to short term pressure but anxiety is the adverse effect of stress. Unlike stress, anxiety doesn’t have identifiable root. Anxiety tends to persist relatively long time than stress. In contrast, Anxiety is a typical mental disorder and tough to treat.

Anxiety

Likewise, Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. You might feel anxious when faced with a problem at your work place, before an exam, or making an important decision. Certainly, Anxiety is not only temporary worry or fear but it involves more than temporary worry or fear.

Therefore, an Anxiety disorder can affect a wide area of life such as work performance, social and personal relations etc.

There are some general symptoms for anxiety disorders:

• Panic/Fear
• Change in sleeping pattern
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Uneasiness
• Not able to calm and cool
• Dry mouth
• Emotional instability

Causes and Management

Moreover, it is yet to find that what are causes anxiety. Many research studies continue to find the answer. Many studies culminated that many things combine to bring anxiety. It can be physiological or brain change, environment change or even it can be your gene.

Specifically, no lab tests are there to identify anxiety but the medical history and face to face interview help to diagnosis it.

Finally to cure anxiety, one must take a help for an expert or experienced psychologist. Who can apply appropriate therapy to treat anxiety disorder? For example, cognitive behavioral therapy is helpful to treat by recognizing and changing thought and behavior which trigger anxiety.
Medication of anti-depression also helps initially but therapy is useful for final results.

Depression VS Anxiety

Depression and anxiety disorders are also different, but evidence shows that people with depression often experience symptoms similar to anxiety disorder, such as problems sleeping and concentrating, difficulty in adjustment, irritability etc.
There is still no evidence one disorder causes the other, but there is clear evidence that many people suffer from both disorders.

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What is Stress

First of all, the term stress first coined by Hans Selye in 1936. Furthermore, Stress can be physical or psychological. One side it can psychological perception of pressure and another side bodily response to it. Consequently, Stress can affect your memory as well as your metabolism. Certainly, the intensity of stress may differ according to the situation and person as well because all have different ability to cope with stress and deal with situations.

Due to, stress can be short term or long term. As a result, Short term affect the things to the extent they can recoverable and long term stress may affect in a way that changes may not be recoverable.

Overburdened by Stress?

Certainly, Sometimes we feel overburden of some work which we enjoy otherwise and it can be done easily because it’s in continuation with our other work and we are not able to manage. For example, suppose we need to buy something for our use but one is occupied in the uncompleted assignment, so we will take this thing as overwork otherwise we enjoy going out and buying something.
Certainly, stress can affect psychologically and physiologically as well.

Physiologically Symptoms are

• Headache
• Stomach Upset
• Fatigue
• Restlessness
• Fast heart beat

Psychological Symptoms are

• Anger
• Sadness
• Problem in decision making and concentration
• Memory problem / Forgetfulness
• Feeling of insecurity
Wide ranges of the test are there to diagnose stress. Such as questionnaire, face to face interview, biochemical and physiological tests.

Now the question is how to control stress? Stress can manage by proper scheduling your all personal and professional work. Similarly, if u need to take a break and go for an outing. Finally, most important are to do exercise and have the nutritious diet. Divide your time for every activity appropriately. If possible seek help from any experienced counselor to manage your stress and life.

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Bipolar Treatment: Every one has ups and downs; this is the nature of being a human being.

Sometimes a person’s mood is up and other times the mood swings down. These ups and downs are far more extreme for those who are suffering from bipolar disorder. (Suffering from bipolar is the same as manic (high) depressive (low) psychosis).

The concern with the bipolar disorder is that it can impact’s the personal life, work life and/or school life of the patient. Bipolar disorder is treatable but unfortunately, both the patient and his or her immediate circle (friends and family) are unable to recognize the warning signals. Therefore the patient’s treatment is delayed. Regretably, bipolar disorder worsens if the patient is not treated and therefore it is important to recognize the disease, so that medical treatment can be sought. 

Below are 14 signs of Bipolar illness to watch out for in a friend or family member that you believe may be suffering from Bipolar disorder:

If anyone you know is displaying several of these symptoms, thus it is advisable for them to meet with an experienced psychologist to get a professional evaluation.

Lastly, there is nothing wrong with being bipolar, as it is treatable by a qualified psychologist/counselor. In certain cases, medication may be also prescribed to stabilize the mood. Unfortunately untreated bipolar will only worsen with time. With proper counseling, therapies, it is possible to treat the illness and for the patient to lead a healthy and productive life.

Please read the other articles on Bipolar also

About Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Mood Disorder

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Living with someone suffering from Depression?

Firstly what is depression? In a layman’s terms, depression is a strong feeling of helplessness, due to which a person is not able to function normally at home or at work.

Technically speaking depression is when a person feels sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, angry, ashamed or restless. They may lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions, experience relationship difficulties and may contemplate, attempt or commit suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, aches, pains, digestive problems or reduced energy may also be present.

Frequently, I am asked what can I do, if I am living with someone who is suffering from depression? Here are 7 ways you can help:

• In the first place, make it clear that you want to help, listen without judgment and offer support.
• Also, encourage them to seek professional help  Offer to accompany them to their appointments with the psychologist, mental health professional or counselor.
• If medication is prescribed, help them take it as it is prescribed. Also, please be patient with your patient, the medicine takes a time to make them feel better.
• Help them with everyday tasks, and to have regular eating and sleeping pattern.
• Encourage them to exercise regularly and also to partake in social activities
• Learn more about depression, update your information on this illness.
• If they are thinking of self-harm, to have already attempted to harm themselves, do not leave them alone, and remove dangerous things such as sharp objects, medicines, and guns away from them.

  In conclusion, when you live with someone with depression, you can help them recover, but you need to take care of yourself first. Thus, Depression is a disease that can be cured.

More about Dr. Prerna Kohli

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About Dr. Prerna Kohli

Dr. Kohli believes that “You can talk with a close friend or relative about what’s troubling you, but it’s not the same as a professionally-trained experienced psychologist who knows exactly what kind of help you need.”

She is a 100 women Achievers Award Winner (2016) from the Honorable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee.

Dr. Prerna Kohli is a Clinical Psychologist, a Public Speaker, a Workshop Facilitator and a Holistic Practitioner. She offers Heart-based workshops and lectures that focus on Life Balance, Self-awareness, and Inner Peace. She is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and compassion with others. Prerna blends intuitive wisdom with a solid understanding. And creating a powerful holistic approach, specializing in the areas of Emotional change.

Dr. Prerna Kohli is a leading Psychologist in India. With over 20 years of experience and has been providing families, individuals, parents and children counseling on being happy.

Seeking solace in food at the weak moments in life is referred to as Emotional Eating. Thus, People turn towards food for comfort, this may happen consciously or unconsciously. Unfortunately, this will negatively impact your health as well as weight and will definitely sabotage your weight-loss program.

The most common triggers are

• Relationship problems, issues, with spouse, children, and others
• Work problems, issues at the workplace often manifest themselves in emotional eating
• Fatigue or symptoms of fatigue such as high blood pressure, Vitamin D deficiency among other causes of fatigue will trigger emotional eating
• Financial problems, lack of money, excessive expenditure, and other financial concerns are known to trigger emotional eating
• Health issues, actual or perceived health issues will be the onset of emotional eating for many people

Some people are known to eat lesser when they suffer from emotional setbacks, but a majority of the population will seek comfort in food and this binge eating is deprived of all enjoyment of eating food.  Thus, for some people, food serves as a distraction from the emotional turmoil in their life. These people will eat snacks, treats, and other food whenever they are upset or angry. So, eating food subconsciously becomes a diversion tactic for these people to avoid the emotional situation.

Hence, the outcomes of emotional eating irrespective of the reason are the same, weight gain, self-loathing, guilt, and an unhealthy lifestyle.

If you are suffering from emotional eating the following steps will help you:

• Firstly, maintain a food diary of everything except water that goes into your mouth
• Meditate, exercise, do deep breathing, when you have the urge to eat
• Drink water, or green tea when you are feeling stress and the onset of emotional eating
• It’s equally important to, Discuss your problem with friends and family, and seek their support
• Also, don’t allow yourself to have free time, beat the boredom
• Don’t stock your pantry with tempting snacks
• Snack on healthy snacks, replace fattening snacks with fresh carrot sticks
• Learn from your setbacks, if you experience a setback, learn from it and move forward

With a little practice and willpower, you can overcome Emotional Eating.

More about Dr. Prerna Kohli

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About Dr. Prerna Kohli

Dr. Kohli believes that “You can talk with a close friend or relative about what’s troubling you, but it’s not the same as a professionally-trained experienced psychologist who knows exactly what kind of help you need.”

She is a 100 women Achievers Award Winner (2016) from the Honorable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee.

Dr. Prerna Kohli is a Clinical Psychologist, a Public Speaker, a Workshop Facilitator and a Holistic Practitioner. She offers Heart-based workshops and lectures that focus on Life Balance, Self-awareness, and Inner Peace. She is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and compassion with others. Prerna blends intuitive wisdom with a solid understanding. And creating a powerful holistic approach, specializing in the areas of Emotional change.

Dr. Prerna Kohli is a leading Psychologist in India. With over 20 years of experience and has been providing families, individuals, parents and children counseling on being happy.

As a parent of a school going child, there will be Stress During Exams Season. Either your child will be stress or you the parent will be stressed.  This article is focused on the stress on the student and how the parents and the school can handle it.

The period of examinations is generally extremely stressful for everyone in the family. The child may want to avoid his or her exams.  They also may want to avoid studying and revising for approaching exams. They procrastinate by daydreaming, watching TV, or wasting time on social media. As a parent you are worried about their education, as your belief is that if they excel in school and perform well in their education, they will have a larger number of opportunities in life and a choice of best colleges to attend. Your concerns are valid and legitimate.

Your concerns about your child’s future are valid about how they perform in their board exams, or other class exams. Yet you need to step back and appreciate how worrisome and intimidating it is for the child. Not only is preparing, and sitting for the exams a difficult task, the post examination period is even more worrisome. The number of children who start to suffer from post examination syndrome is astounding.

You as a parent have to be strong, and help your school going child through this trying time. You need to listen to them, and understand their fears and provide sufficient encouragement and distraction for them. Given below are my tips on making the examination time less stressful.

Pre-examination tips:

A relaxed and comfortable place to studyIf you don’t have a quite spot in your house, see if they can study as a neighbor or friends house

As a parent, understand that some children learn better with background “sound”. If they are listening to music or TV in the background for “white noise” it may be the best thing for them

Be flexible with the families schedule, to accommodate the your student

Connect with the teachers at school, to see if they have any tips to help your child perform better in the upcoming exams

This is a time to have a flexible timetable for your child, on when to bathe, eat, exercise etc. Remember exercise is very important

Let your child know that it is never too late to start to prepare for the exams or too seek help from teachers, tutors and friends

Don’t bribe your child to study, teach them to study and perform well for their own satisfaction and success

Planning a dinner, a movie or any other small distraction such as visit to a friend’s or relative’s house is a good diversion

As a parent, you need to keep calm and remain positive, your child will pick up your vibes and if you are stressed, this will add to their stress

There is always another chance in life, many times children get so stress that they take irreversible steps, you don’t want your child to take any steps that they or you may regret.

More about Dr. Prerna Kohli

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About Dr. Prerna Kohli

Dr. Kohli believes that “You can talk with a close friend or relative about what’s troubling you; but it’s not the same as professionally-trained experienced psychologist who knows exactly what kind of help you need.”

She is a 100 women Achievers Award Winner (2016) from the Honorable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee.

Dr. Prerna Kohli is a Clinical Psychologist, a Public Speaker, a Workshop Facilitator and a Holistic Practitioner. She offers Heart-based workshops and lectures that focus on Life Balance, Self-awareness and Inner Peace. Dedicated to sharing her knowledge and compassion with others, Prerna blends intuitive wisdom with solid understanding, creating a powerful holistic approach, specializing in the areas of Emotional change.

Dr. Prerna Kohli is a leading Psychologist in India with over 20 years of experience and has been providing families, individuals, parents and children counseling on being happy.

Fortunately there is treatment for Depression, unfortunately there isn’t one set formula which is applicable for all of those who suffer from depression.  The path for recover from depression varies for each individual. Treatments for Depression are available with experienced professional psychologists.

First of all, we need to know what is depression? In a layman’s terms, depression is a strong feeling of helplessness, due to which a person is not able to function normally at home or at work. Technically speaking depression is when a person feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, angry, ashamed or restless. They may lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions, experience relationship difficulties and may contemplate, attempt or commit suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, aches, pains, digestive problems or reduced energy may also be present.

As a result, the treatment for Depression can be broadly classified into two types i.e. Medical treatments or psychological treatments.

Medical Treatments:

In my opinion medical treatments which primarily are anti depression pills and tablets should be a last resort for the patient, and only after all psychological treatment options have been exhausted. As a result, anti depressant medications alter the chemical balance of the body, and have known side effects.  Consequently, these should be administered under the guidance of a qualified and experienced psychiatrist and should always be coupled counseling by a an experienced psychologist.

Psychological Treatments:

Talk therapy help you change your mind and thinking processes to re-calibrate your ability to deal with the problems and concerns of day to day life. These Psychological treatments will help your recognize those thoughts and actions which are detrimental to your well-being and to remove them from your life.

The key Psychological Treatments are as follows:

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT):

CBT effectively shifts your mind away from negative and un-helping thinking toward a positive, realistic, problem-solving mindset.

Interpersonal therapy (IPT):

When people are facing depression due to problems in relationships. Thus, IPT equips the patient on identifying and resolving those problems in relationships which lead to depression.

Behavior therapy:

 It Helps in modifying behaviour to focus on activities that are rewarding, pleasant and satisfying. Thus, steering away from the behaviour that was causing depression.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT):

MBCT is a psychological therapy which involves mindfulness meditation. Thus, the patient is taught to use meditation as a form of relaxation and a tool for moving away from those trigger points that lead to depression.

In conclusion, an experienced psychologist will transparently use some or all of these Psychological Therapies to help their patients on the road to recovery.

 Learn more about Dr. Kohli

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
About Dr. Prerna Kohli

Dr. Kohli believes that “You can talk with a close friend or relative about what’s troubling you; but it’s not the same as professionally-trained experienced psychologist who knows exactly what kind of help you need.”

She is a 100 women Achievers Award Winner (2016) from the Honorable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee.

Dr. Prerna Kohli is a Clinical Psychologist, a Public Speaker, a Workshop Facilitator and a Holistic Practitioner. She offers Heart-based workshops and lectures that focus on Life Balance, Self-awareness and Inner Peace. Dedicated to sharing her knowledge and compassion with others, Prerna blends intuitive wisdom with solid understanding, creating a powerful holistic approach, specializing in the areas of Emotional change.

Dr. Prerna Kohli is a leading Psychologist in India and provides families, individuals, parents and children counselling on being happy.

Frequently, I am asked if there is any cure for depression without the intervention of a doctor. Fortunately, depression is curable. In case the individual is suffering from a mild case of depression they can take steps to address it themselves. Addressing you depression by yourself requires a lot of will power and mental strength.

What is depression? In a layman’s terms, depression is a strong feeling of helplessness, due to which a person is not able to function normally at home or at work. Technically speaking depression is when a person feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, angry, ashamed or restless. They may lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions, experience relationship difficulties and may contemplate, attempt or commit suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, aches, pains, digestive problems or reduced energy may also be present.

Here are a few techniques to work on your path to healing yourself of depression:

Start a routine: Make it a habit to wake up, and go to bed on the same time, make a schedule and stick to it

Set Goals: Start out be setting simple goals and achieving them. A goal could be to cook a favorite dish, go for a walk, or to take your bath on time

Exercise: Going for a walk, going to the gym, or doing stretching exercises or yoga on a regular basis

Eat Healthy: Remove junk food, soft drinks and processed foods from your diet, introduce fresh and unprocessed foods into your diet

Get enough Sleep: If you body requires7- 8 hours of sleep daily, ensure that you do so

Take on Responsibilities: Be response for someone or something, for example taking the family pet for a walk, watering the plants etc

Eradicate Negative thoughts: Whenever you mind wanders towards negative thoughts, consciously change your thoughts

Do something New: Learn something new, such as salsa dancing, painting, playing an instrument, or singing

Have Fun: Furthermore, plan a fun activity, go shopping, go to watch a movie, go and visit a friend or family member

Consult an Experienced Psychologist: Visit a professional, they will be able to guide you on what your can do, and advise you if you need medication such as antidepressant pills.

Learn more about Dr. Prerna Kohli

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
About Dr. Prerna Kohli

Dr. Kohli believes that “You can talk with a close friend or relative about what’s troubling you; but it’s not the same as professionally-trained experienced psychologist who knows exactly what kind of help you need.”

She is a 100 women Achievers Award Winner (2016) from the Honorable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee.

Dr. Prerna Kohli is a Clinical Psychologist, a Public Speaker, a Workshop Facilitator and a Holistic Practitioner. She offers Heart-based workshops and lectures that focus on Life Balance, Self-awareness and Inner Peace. Dedicated to sharing her knowledge and compassion with others, Prerna blends intuitive wisdom with solid understanding, creating a powerful holistic approach, specializing in the areas of Emotional change.

Dr. Prerna Kohli is a leading Psychologist in India and provides families, individuals, parents and children counselling on being happy.